The new job...

This post is actually a mail I sent to some of my friends few days after I shifted to Ujire (28th September 2010), I am posting it in this site to have some sort of continuity...

Hello friends, its quite some time I have updated some of you on things I have been doing and trying to do. Here is a small write up on the same.

After quitting GE, I relocated to Banglore to pursue my dreams of starting a company in solar energy domain. Before I go more on that, I must say GE was very kind to me from the day I joined - they took me even when I didn’t turn up on my joining date - didn’t ask me my degree certificates after I joined - paid me two months salary for which I wasn't required to work - its an awesome company. Anyway, I am trying to get over GE and focus on renewable energies.

After coming to Bangalore I had great fun in hanging out with my friends in IISc, friends near my home, catching up with my relatives in some family functions and also had super awesome fun in Malaysia. I was at absolute leisure , spending my typical day in watching TV, following mail chains, social networking via facebook, orkut and twitter, reading some arbit novel and various other time pass activities. While enjoying my paid holidays, I indulged myself in a small project that involved illuminating a garden by LEDs, which had to be powered through solar energy and yeah, I also visited the India’s largest solar PV (PhotoVoltaics) based electricity generation plant. Well, I did try to educate my self on solar energy technologies by reading books, talking to people and of course through Internet.

I realized that starting a business in solar PV would require hands on experience, that is to have field experience. For this purpose, I applied for a field engineer job in a few companies. I was lucky to get connected to an IISc professor through a close friend of mine. That professor hooked me up with some people in this company called Selco, which is doing great work in rural electrification through solar. Fortunately things worked out and they hired me to do both R&D and Field work in their incubation centre (Lab), which is located in Ujire (350kms from Bangalore).

I was quite excited to work in a small town, which happens to be a starting point for millions of trekking spots in Western Ghats. Kudremukh, Jamalabad fort, Bandaje falls, Anadka falls, Arabi falls etc are some trekking spots actually viewable from the incubation centre itself. Ujire is located in a very strategic point. Its 7kms from Dharmasthala, which is the most visited pilgrimage centre in Karnataka; hence there are umpteen number of buses from Bangalore and various other places.

I joined the company yesterday (27th Sept ‘10). I work in a lab, which is in the 4th floor of an engineering college called SDMIT. This college building stands out in terms of its Architecture, just like an European in an Indian gathering. The buildings in this town mostly has tailed roof adorned with 19th century architectural style, while this college building is totally of 21st century make, with glass all around and stuff. As per accommodation is concerned, I am right now staying in a lodge, will soon be shifting to SDMIT faculty quarters.

The company operates for six days a week, and gives 10 days holidays for various festivals. The lab has three full time employees including me. Dr. Anand and Sandeep are the other two. Anand is my boss, who is also the head of this lab. He seems like a very cool person. He has done some quite adventures stuff in his life. Like this one, after doing his BTech from IIT Madras (1992) he got a 10 acre land in this place and started farming. He was assistant professor in IISc ASTRA for some time. Anyway there is so much to tell about him, will tell you some other time. Sandeep is my ‘go-to’ person here. He completed his masters in Social Work (MSW) few months back and joined SELCO. He interacts with the villagers to find out their problems and tries to provide the technological solution offered from the company end. If there isn’t any solution available, he communicates the same to the lab, and the lab works on it. The solution developed by the lab is given to the villagers free of cost and the same will be monitored for its reliability and usability. If the solution is found to be reliable and robust then it will enter the product line of the company, which will be manufactured in bulk and later sold at affordable price. Here comes my role, I will be part of the team which develops the solution and do the first time installation at villager’s house. Well, you might be wondering who else is in the team here? This lab has always been blessed with some really smart interns from various universities, which includes MIT, Cambridge, Stanford and also over own VTU. Right now with us is Sam, He is doing his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Cambridge university, UK (remember Newton of Newton’s law of motion - he is alumni of the same University). The lab also gets few inters from the college, who are selected based on their performance in the tests and interviews conducted by Anand. I am yet to meet this gang.

This lab is a junk yard. There are so many things here but nothing is in any specific place, probably I have to apply some of the lessons I learnt in GE to make this place more convenient to work. However, the best part of the lab is the view from the windows. I could see greenery all around. I can see places I have trekked and the places I aspire to trek. There are Hills, water falls and what not. In fact, I bought a DSLR camera before leaving Bangalore so that I could capture all these stuff. I have pasted the link of some snaps that I took yesterday and today below, do check it some time.

so guys, here I am all alone, chasing for the unknown, with a mind of my own:)

http://picasaweb.google.com/isiganesh/UjireMyNewHome?authkey=Gv1sRgCMGQwd2a5bnUfA#